


Coincidence

by softspot



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Stalking, Suicide Attempt, photographer!Connor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 04:15:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13159086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softspot/pseuds/softspot
Summary: It is only stalking if you are actively following someone. Connor Murphy just happened to be in the same places as Evan Hansen, a lot of the time.





	Coincidence

It is only stalking if you are actively following someone. Connor Murphy just happened to be in the same places as Evan Hansen, a lot of the time. Seeing Evan pass through the courtyard every Tuesday and Thursday back from class was not stalking; it was a coincidence. It was also a coincidence when, on an early morning, he caught Evan standing on the edge of the campus’ small pond skipping stones. Or the times Connor would just happen to be reading on the 4th floor near the Environmental Science section and Evan set up camp at a table nearby with the books he had pulled down. All pure coincidence, no stalking involved.

The pictures Connor took of him were a little stalker-ish, as Jared Kleinman would mention as the two of them developed pictures in the darkroom. He would shrug his friend’s comments off. It was not weird. Connor liked taking pictures of pretty things and Evan Hansen was pretty. He didn’t smile, but that didn’t make him less pretty. If only he could get one picture with him, you know, looking at the camera. That would get Jared off his back. Plus, he had never been close enough, but he was sure that Evan’s eyes were very pretty.

It was coincidence when Connor takes a trip to Ellison State Park for a nature photography assignment. The _thump_ came in between the sound of his shutter closing. He was content to ignore it until some strange crying was heard from the same direction. Connor packed his camera away and slung his bag over his shoulder before hiking deeper into the forest following the sound. Further into the forest, the trees grew way above Connor’s head, above his dorm building even. At the base of one these trees was the culprit of the now soft sobs.

 _What a coincidence,_ his brain murmured coyly.

Curled up there was the prettiest boy, that Connor was not stalking, with his arm twisted in the way that only forensic photographers were interested in taking pictures of. He had a moment of imagining taking pictures of him right now.

_No, definitely weird, Murphy, what the fuck is the matter with you._

Connor protectively placed a hand over his messenger bag that held pictures of the boy in front of him. He passed a hand through his hair and started towards Evan.

“Hey.” He spoke too softly. Evan didn’t look up and Connor went unheard. He could still bail. He could leave and continue to admire him in secret. He could turn and hightail it out and pretend he never saw anything. But that was fucked up even for a normal person. And even more fucked up for someone like Connor who was objectively not-normal and took pictures of pretty people without their consent. The least he could do is help Evan out of the forest and to the student health clinic or something.

“Hey.” He tried again with more force in his voice. This time Evan flinched, and Connor took that as a sign that he was heard. He continued, “Your arm looks fucked up, man”, causing another flinch from the boy on the ground. _Wrong thing to say dumbass, try again._

He knelt beside him. “I’m going to help you, yeah? Uh, did you- did you, like, fall? I don’t think I’m supposed to move you if you fell because of spinal injuries or something, but if you could – I don’t know – help me out here that would be sweet.”

With no acknowledgement from Evan, he began to feel the familiar feeling of anger flow through him. He did his best to swallow them because _this is not the time, you fuck._

The bitter tone that coated his next words were just coincidence. “Okay. I’m going to call an ambulance.” This caused a stir from the boy at his knees. Evan pushed himself up off the ground with his good arm, whimpering when his left arm got moved in his haste. His eyes met Connor’s and the vibrant green melted Connor. _Yes, those would look very pretty on camera._ He shook his head to catch the words Evan was saying.

“I’m fine,” he let fall defeatedly out of his mouth.

Connor took a second to place the torn-up voice to the boy in his pictures before remembering again that now was not the time to be in his own head. “Your arm would disagree, unless it usually just looks like that.”

He didn’t get a laugh out of that, only a wince as Evan cradled the arm against his chest. He didn’t fight Connor as he helped him up and carefully navigated them to Connor’s car waiting in the parking lot of the park. The drive could be a quick, painless 10 minutes back to campus, if only Connor’s brain would stop trying to make words come out of his stupid mouth. He was searching desperately for something to say to this boy that wouldn’t make him uncomfortable - _Did you fall from that tree? I take pictures. I’ve seen you around campus. Please don’t look in my bag it is filled with objectively creepy pictures of you._ \- when Evan took the conversation into his own hands.

“I wasn’t- I didn’t expect anyone to actually come,” He whispered from the passenger seat.

Connor let out a surprised cough. “What?”

“I was you know laying – I was laying there thinking, ‘Oh wow any second now they’ll be...they’ll be coming. Any, wow any time now, they’ll find me’,” He let out a nervous laugh, “But I didn’t know who _they_ was. And then yeah, you were there! Sorry I just, you heard me? You saw me. You were there. How did you – how were you there?”

“It was just a coincidence. A lucky coincidence.”

Evan gave a small smile and went back to looking out the window. As Connor focused back on the road, he decided that he was going to throw out all the pictures he had and pursue pictures of Evan Hansen that had that smile.


End file.
